SKCC's Weekend Sprintathon (WES)

The SKCC WES aims to bring together operators with different skill levels in a regularly scheduled, informal operating event lasting 36 hours. The event starts at 1200 UTC on the Saturday following the 6th of each month and ends at 2359 UTC on Sunday. Participants can operate for a total of no more than 24 hours.

Some events focus on a theme or activity. Three popular themes that repeat each year are Homebrew Keys, QRP, and Boat Anchors. Themes tend to have special rules and scoring.

SKCC members who participate in the WES must use straight keys, sideswipers (cooties), or bugs. Waivers from this policy are possible. For details, see the club's policy on approved keying devices here. Because this event aims to include newcomers to CW as well as experience brass-pounders, operating speed should be adjusted accordingly.

The sprintathon also has an entry category for shortwave listeners, who are cordially invited to join the fun. Non-members are invited to take part as well.

WES results are posted for bragging rights. Certificates are issue to recognize participation, including a certificate recognizing QRP participation. See the bottom of this page for details.

For March's WES -- QRP 'R Some of Us

QRO participants can earn 10 points per contact with a station running from 2 to 5 watts (QRP). A station running 1 watt or less (QRPp) is worth 20 points per contact.

For those running the peanut whistles, bonus scoring goes something like this:

Each station in a QRP/QRPp x 2 QSO earns the sum of both stations' bonus values: A QRP x 2 is worth 20 points for each station; a QRPQRPp QSO is worth 30 points to each; a QRPp x 2 is worth 40 points to each station in the QSO.

If you are running QRP/QRPp, please send your power level after your SKCC number during your exchanges and identify yourself as a QRP/QRPp station either during your CQ, as in CQ WES QRP, or after your call, as in N1ABS/QRP. Multiband QSOs with a given QRP or QRPp station are permitted for bonus points.

The event runs from 1200 UTC Saturday, March 7 to 2359 UTC Sunday, March 8. And remember, US jurisdictions that recognize daylight saving time switch over to it in the wee hours of march 8.

Rules:

Eligibility:

The SKCC's Weekend Sprintathon is open to all licensed amateurs, as well as shortwave listeners. All active participants must use a manual key (stright key, sideswiper, or bug), unless granted an exception by the SKCC.

Frequencies:

Participants may sprint on 160-6 meters, excluding the WARC bands (60, 30, 17, and 12 meters). Suggested frequencies are on or around the SKCC calling frequencies: 1.820, 3.550, 7.055 and 7.114, 14.050, 21.050 and 21.114, 28.050 and 28.114, and 50.090 Mhz. K3UK's sked page or other spotting tools are permitted for this event. Where two frequencies are listed for the same band, score as one band.

Exchange:

The minimum exchange must include RST, QTH, operator name, and SKCC
number. If you are not a club member, please send "none" for SKCC
number. Please give a realistic RST, not a perfunctory
599 or 559. If you don't get a signal report, please ask for it. For
QTH, US and Canadian stations should use their two-letter state or
province abbreviation. Stations outside the US and Canada should use
their IAAF country codes. You can find the country codes here.

This is an informal event, so if you are not an SKCC member, take a
moment to visit our home page and apply for a number. It's free! And if
you are a member and have completed the required exchange, hang around
and chat for a bit with non-members. It's good PR!

Scoring:

For amateur-radio operators

-- Each unique QSO counts as one point. You may count contacts with the same station on
multiple bands, but only once per band. You earn one multiplier point for each state, province, or country worked, but you can count a state, province, or country only once per WES.

-- You earn bonus points for working Centurions and Tribunes. You can work the same C, T, or S on multiple bands for QSO points, but his or her C, T or S counts once per WES for bonus points. Each C is worth 5 points, each T is worth 10 points, and each S is worth 15 points.

-- You receive an additional 25 bonus points for each band on which you contact the special sprint station, K9SKC, when it is active. Extra bonus points may be offered as part of a given sprint's theme. If none is offered, enter 0 in the appropriate box on the submissions page.

For shortwave listeners:

You must copy at least one side of a WES QSO for a QSO point. If you copy both sides of a WES exchanges, that counts as 2 QSO points. You can count the same station more than once only if you copy that station's QSO on a different band -- one QSO per band. Note that some WES themes may not allow SWL entrants to claim the theme-related bonus.

As you enter your contact information on the submissions page, the page calculates your score automatically by multiplying the total number of QSOs by the total number of multipliers, then adds the total bonus points you enter, based on the bonus-point scheme for the event. Because this scheme varies from event to event, you'll need to canculate your bonus totals.

Total = (QSO x Multipliers) + bonus points

Submissions:

Please use the submissions page, reached by clicking on "Submit Your
Score" link at the top of this page. Logs are not required unless the
WES manager requests them. The deadline for submitting or correcting
your entry is 2359 UTC on the Sunday following the event. If you are
correcting your entry, you must resubmit all your information, not just
the item that needed the correction. If you are a non-member, use
"none" in place of SKCC number on the submissions page. If you are an
SWL and have a unique SWL club ID, use that in place of a call sign. If
you don't have a club ID, make up a unique, one-word ID to use.

WES Participation Certificates

Participation certificates are sent to qualifying WES entrants after each month's event. These certificates are quality wallpaper that any SKCC member would be pround to display.

Four types of certificates, in pdf format, are regularly emailed after each event to:

All first-time entrants

These certificates have an orange border with a J-38 key watermark in background.

DX entrants

These certificates recognize a member's entry in multiple WES events
(5, 10, 15, 20, etc.). These certificates have a red border, with a
different key as the watermark for each level. For example, the
certificate for 5 DX entries has a J-38 key watermark; for 10 DX
entries, the
certificate has an E.F. Johnson Speed-X Semi-Automatic Bug watermark;
for 15 DX entries, the
certificate has a watermark of an NT9K homebrew key crafted in corian;
for 20 DX entries, the certificate has a Vibroplex Deluxe key watermark.

QRP entrants

These certificates recognize multiple entries in monthly WES events
(5, 10, 15, 20, etc.). These certificates have a green border, with the
same pattern of watermakers used for DX certificates.

Regular US participants

These certificates recognize SKCC members residing in the contiguous
48 US states for entering mulitple WES events (10, 25, 50, 75, etc.).
These certificates have a blue border, with the same pattern of
watermarks used for DX certificates.

Certificate recipients for DX, QRP, and regular US recognition levels are noted on the General WES Statistics
page, which is updated after each WES. Gene Buck, KL7GLL, WES awards
manager, will, upon request, send new or replacement certificates to
those who achieved a qualifying participation level but did not receive
a certificate, or to those who have misplaced their certificate. Gene's
email is ebuck43@aol.com

Many thanks to Ron Bower, AC2C, and Pete Spotts, N1ABS, for their help in designing and producing the certificates.